U.S. Justice Department

News about U.S. Justice Department, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Jul. 29, 2015

Marshall L Miller will step down as No 2 official at the Justice Dept's criminal division in Washington; longtime federal prosecutor has accepted position at New York University as part of expected transition to private sector. MORE

Jul. 22, 2015

Congressional Republicans are pursuing legislation that will penalize cities that shield illegal immigrants; legislation would bar Justice Dept from granting funds to so-called 'sanctuary cities'; debate has been intensified by murder of Kathryn Steinle by illegal immigrant in San Francisco. MORE

Jul. 21, 2015

Lawyers for Sen Robert Menendez, who is facing federal bribery charges alongside his longtime collaborator Salomon E Melgen, ask judge to dismiss criminal case against him, arguing that his constitutional rights have been violated; Justice Dept is accusing Menendez of trading political favors for luxury vacations, free airfare and campaign donations. MORE

Jul. 2, 2015

Justice Dept announces it has opened investigation into possibility that airlines are colluding to limit capacity on flight routes in order to restrain competition and bump up fare prices; announcement comes two years after department cleared merger of American Airlines and US Airways after determining that it would be boon to consumers. MORE

Jul. 1, 2015

Justice Dept draft report finds that police response to unrest in Ferguson, Mo, after fatal shooting of Michael Brown only worsened tensions; adds that police violated constitutional rights of citizens; criticizes police misuse of military equipment and tactics; is intended to help improve police policies and tactics nationwide. MORE

Jun. 18, 2015

Sen Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut asks Justice Dept to investigate if airlines are colluding to limit capacity and force fares up. MORE

Jun. 17, 2015

Justice Dept and FBI are investigating allegations that St Louis Cardinals personnel hacked into Houston Astros database to steal closely guarded information about players; attack would represent first known instance in which professional sports team hacked network of another team. MORE

Jun. 13, 2015

Jun. 9, 2015

Paula Span The New Old Age column; Harbor's Edge retirement community in Norfolk, Va, pays penalties of nearly $400,00 after Justice Dept charges facility with violating Fair Housing Act by restricting its dining room and certain activities to independent living residents; case sets precedent for other assisted living facilities that may seek to segregate residents. MORE

Jun. 5, 2015

Multiple investigations into leaks concerning Federal Reserve's bond-buying programs raises questions about Fed's longstanding reliance on internal reviews and whether it can effectively police itself; Justice Dept, House Financial Services Committee and Fed's inspector general are conducting investigations; critics say bank has overly cozy relationship with financial industry and has not sufficiently explained series of recent leaks. MORE

Jun. 4, 2015

Document obtained through Freedom of Information Act indicates that former Assistant Atty Gen Lanny A Breuer organized a meeting in 2010 between Justice Dept prosecutors and Goldman Sachs executives focusing on methods for combating terrorism financing; meeting could reignite queries into Justice Dept's priorities in wake of financial crisis. MORE

Jun. 2, 2015

Op-Ed article by Prof Mona Lynch points to role overzealous federal prosecutors have played in systemic abuses in United State justice system related to war on drugs, particularly in seeking lengthy jail times for black defendants; offers examples from her research on such abuses related to use of so-called 851 tool, which allows for doubling of mandatory minimum sentences for drug convictions and has had disproportionate impact on black communities. MORE

May. 30, 2015

Justice Dept closes case in hanging death of black Mississippi man Otis Byrd, citing insufficient evidence to support categorizing death as homicide; Byrd's relatives reject notion that he killed himself. MORE

May. 30, 2015

United States Justice Department indictments of FIFA officials has brought international attention to Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who was largely unknown in many countries after having been in position only one month. MORE

May. 28, 2015

Justice Dept announces sweeping corruption indictment against 14 FIFA officials and marketing executives; charges them with corrupting international soccer during two decades involving at least $150 million in bribes, including some related to World Cup bidding process; Attorney Gen Loretta E Lynch warns arrests, which took place in Zurich, are only beginning of inquiry aimed at ridding organization of systemic corruption; chart illustrates position of those arrested within FIFA. MORE

May. 28, 2015

Companion piece to Page One article about FIFA indictments outlines specifics of Justice Dept's case. MORE

May. 27, 2015

Officials say Cleveland police department has agreed to adhere to some of most stringent standards in country over how and when its officers can use force, and will allow Justice Dept overview to ensure rules are not ignored; city's police department has become associated with racially charged debate over police tactics. MORE

May. 26, 2015

Cleveland reaches settlement with Justice Dept over what federal authorities say is pattern of unconstitutional policing and excessive use of force; settlement follows judge's acquittal of Officer Michael Brelo on manslaughter charge for his role in 2012 fatal shooting of two unarmed blacks. MORE

May. 23, 2015

Criminal wrongdoing has been found by Justice Dept investigators in General Motors' failure to acknowledge defect that has since been connected to at least 104 deaths; record settlement of upwards of $1.2 billion is expected relatively early, as GM is eager to have investigation closed; former company employees are under investigation and face possibility of criminal charges. MORE

May. 23, 2015

Texas Gov Greg Abbott says his state plans to comply with national standards for preventing prison rape; Justice Dept, however, says Texas has failed to follow federal procedures under Prison Rape Elimination Act and will likely be financially penalized for second straight year. MORE

May. 21, 2015

Chinese government expresses concern over Justice Dept indictments of six Chinese scientists in United States, on rarely used charges of economic espionage in connection with cellphone chip technology that was taken from two small American companies; spokesman for Foreign Ministry says Chinese government is seeking more information about the arrests in effort to protect rights of Chinese professionals involved in China-US exchanges. MORE

May. 18, 2015

Justice Dept opens inquiry into inmate abuse at New York State's Attica Correctional Facility; investigation follows guilty plea by three officers in 2011 beating of inmate George Williams. MORE

May. 16, 2015

Editorial contends ruling against banks Nomura Holdings of Japan and Royal Bank of Scotland in housing bubble-related case brought by housing finance agency raises question of why Justice Dept and SEC have not done more to expose wrongdoing by Wall Street banks; holds settlements demanded by Justice Dept and SEC let banks, most of which remain unnamed, escape accountability. MORE

May. 14, 2015

Federal prosecutors decide to return $100,000 seized from North Carolina convenience store owner Lyndon McLellan; Justice Department says it will end such seizures, form of civil asset forfeiture based on pattern of small cash deposits without criminal charge or evidence of crime. MORE

May. 14, 2015

Justice Dept will announce that Barclays, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and Royal Bank of Scotland will collectively pay several billion dollars and plead guilty to criminal antitrust violations for foreign currency manipulation; prosecutors are aware, however, that overly punitive penalties could endanger banks crucial to world economy. MORE

May. 10, 2015

Gretchen Morgenson Fair Game column examines suspect mortgage practices by Bank of America as it seeks to fulfill $7 billion in customer relief under landmark settlement with the Justice Dept; observes that bank has tried to claim credit for 'releasing' debts that have already been discharged in bankruptcy settlements, counting money that never would have been theirs to collect. MORE

May. 9, 2015

Lawyers for six Baltimore police officers facing murder charges over death of Freddie Gray launch counter assault on Maryland State's Atty Marilyn Mosby, assailing her office as hotbed of double-dealing and misconduct; are seeking dismissal of charges or removal of Mosby as prosecutor of case; separately, Atty Gen Loretta E Lynch announces Justice Dept probe into practices of Baltimore Police Dept. MORE

May. 8, 2015

Justice Dept, following request from Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, will investigate wether Baltimore Police Dept engaged in pattern of unconstitutional policing; move follows indictment of six Baltimore officers in relation to death of Freddie Gray. MORE

May. 7, 2015

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake requests Justice Department investigation into whether city's police force is guilty of unconstitutional and systematic patterns of racially-based discrimination and abuse; request follows days of unrest over death of black man Freddie Gray in police custody. MORE

May. 6, 2015

Newly minted Atty Gen Loretta E Lynch goes to Baltimore on her first official trip, meeting with various factions and offering praise and reassurance; among those she visits are family of Freddie Gray, young black man who died from injuries suffered in policy custody. MORE

May. 5, 2015

Federal Reserve says Justice Dept is conducting criminal probe into 2012 leak of information about critical meeting of Fed committee that sets monetary policy; Fed will give House investigators list of staff members who were subjects of internal inquiry. MORE

May. 1, 2015

Convenience store owner Lyndon McLellan in rural Fairmont, NC, is trying to recover $107,702 seized by IRS for so-called structuring of bank deposits; IRS and Justice Dept have said they are no longer pursuing asset forfeiture in non-criminal cases, though repeal does not apply retroactively. MORE

Apr. 24, 2015

Aides of United States Atty Gen Loretta E Lynch say improving police morale and finding common ground between law enforcement and minority communities will be among her top priorities as new head of Justice Dept. MORE

Apr. 24, 2015

Justice Dept files lawsuit against Quicken Loans, contending that it made hundreds of improper mortgage loans that cost Federal Housing Admin millions of dollars; contends that Quicken knowingly submitted falsely underwritten claims between 2007 and 2011 that would exploit FHA insurance. MORE

Apr. 23, 2015

Trial in former American International Group chief executive Maurice R Greenberg's $40 billion suit against government ends in stalemate with Greenberg's lawyer and Justice Dept offering up starkly different interpretations of 2008 bailout of AIG; analysts say case is too close to call and rests on Judge Thomas Wheeler's decision, even though Greenberg was widely mocked for bringing suit at outset. MORE

Apr. 22, 2015

Justice Dept under Atty Gen Eric H Holder has sided with police officers in every Supreme Court case involving accusations of excessive force, drawing criticisms from some who say police abuses could best be stemmed at federal rather than local level; every federal decision in favor of officers makes it more difficult for citizens to seek justice for claims of mistreatment. MORE

Apr. 22, 2015

Senate clears way for long-delayed vote on confirmation of Loretta E Lynch to replace Eric H Holder Jr as attorney general following compromise on human-trafficking bill that was delaying vote; bill was delayed due to Democratic objection to anti-abortion provision attached to it. MORE

Apr. 21, 2015

Justice Dept will conduct independent review of Federal Bureau of Investigation laboratory procedures after discovering flaws in forensics testimony in hundreds of criminal cases. MORE

Apr. 21, 2015

Op-Ed article by Eric S Lander, director of Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, calls for far more rigorous standards for forensic science, following revelations that high number of criminal convictions are based on scientifically questionable analysis of evidence; cites Justice Dept review showing flawed testimony from Federal Bureau of Investigation in 257 of 268 cases between 1985 and 1999, with 33 defendants in those cases receiving death penalty. MORE

Apr. 18, 2015

Congressional Memo; Pres Obama holds press conference scoring Senate Republicans for continuing to hold up nomination of Loretta E Lynch as United States attorney general; Lynch's nomination has been in limbo for nearly six months, becoming a bargaining chip in unrelated battle over administration's immigration policies; Obama calls Republican refusal to set a vote on Lynch an 'embarrassing' example of partisanship. MORE

Apr. 18, 2015

Civil rights groups in North Charleston, SC, including local branch of NAACP, hold press conference at which they ask Justice Dept to investigate all shootings by Charleston County police officers, for last 21 years, that resulted in civilian fatalities. MORE

Apr. 18, 2015

Justice Dept lawyers reviewing $45 billion takeover of Time Warner Cable by Comcast seem likely to recommend that department block deal due to competition concerns; recommendation does not rule out possibility that department will overrule it, as recommendation is preliminary step in consideration of deal. MORE

Apr. 13, 2015

Editorial welcomes Justice Dept's new scrutiny of donations from Super PACs, as evidenced in bribery indictment of New Jersey Sen Robert Menendez; argues shift comes just in time for election season that threatens to be bonanza for Super PACS and the unlimited contributions they can raise. MORE

Apr. 9, 2015

Hundreds of defendants across country are facing serious charges after being caught in gap between federal and state marijuana laws, but little-publicized appropriations bill could have game-changing effect on their cases; courts are now debating how to deal with provision in bill that bars Justice Dept from spending money to prevent states from implementing medical marijuana laws. MORE